1) CHRISTIAN PARENTI ON THE BOLIVIAN LEFT
                  2) REGISTER FOR YDS AUG. 12-14 CONFERENCE
                  3) REMEMBERING JAMES WEINSTEIN
                  4) VOTE MLK JR. AS GREATEST AMERICAN
                  5) NEW COUNTER-RECRUITMENT RESOURCES
                  6) WANTED: LABOR ORGANIZERS IN PHILLY
                  7) BLOGGING ON DEAN, DEMS AND GOD

1) CHRISTIAN PARENTI ON THE BOLIVIAN LEFT
YDS is pleased to announce that Christian Parenti will be joining us at our August 12-14 summer national conference and activist retreat! He will speak about what it means to be on the Left today and about progressive social movements and conflict zones around the world.

Bolivia's Battle Of Wills
Having forced President Mesa to resign, the Bolivian left has momentum. But the challenges it faces are enormous: It is riven by ideological disputes, pervasive ethnic factionalism and the constant clash of leadership egos.
by Christian Parenti (author of The Freedom: Shadows and Hallucinations in Occupied Iraq and a visiting fellow at CUNY's Center for Place, Culture and Politics)
www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050704&c=1&s=parenti


2) REGISTER FOR YDS AUGUST 12-14 CONFERENCE
Register today for "Building the Next Left," YDS' summer national conference and activist retreat! 
***********************************
BUILDING THE NEXT LEFT
the weekend of August 12-14
Lamont Castle, Ossining NY
***********************************
CLICK HERE: www.ydsusa.org/confs/nyc_0805.html
Register before July 15th for the discounted rate!
Go on-line for flyers, directions, workshop and training themes.


3) REMEMBERING JAMES WEINSTEIN OF IN THESE TIMES
The following was posted on the YDS discuss list last week by Adrian Bleifuss Prados:

"James Weinstein, founder of In These Times, Socialist Review and author of numerous books died today of a brain tumor. Jim belonged to a generation that came of age after the glory days of the Old Left, but well before the New left took off. He was a member of the New American Movement, which fused with the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (DSOC) creating the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

 

Jim was very proud of his latest book, The Long Detour which outlines the history of the American Left and suggests a possible trajectory for the future. He was especially interested in getting young people to read it and I suggest that YDSers give it a look. His main argument was that "really existing socialism" paralyzed the American Left and that today's post-soviet situation presents an opportunity to make a new case for socialism."

You can read more about James Weinstein and his last book: www.thelongdetour.com
You can also check out In These Times, which he founded: www.inthesetimes.com

In next week's email update, we'll be posting a list of suggested summer readings of recent and classic books.  In the meantime, please write us to recommend any titles.


4) VOTE MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. AS GREATEST AMERICAN
Some tv hoo-haws are having a "greatest American" poll. The final 5 candidates are Ben Franklin, Abe Lincoln, George Washington, Ronald Reagan, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

This may seem more or less inconsequential, but it would be truly awful if the ber-right winger Reagan were to win.  If Ronnie's made it to the final 5, there must be some organized campaign out there to get votes for him. When the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation did a "greatest Canadian" poll like this a while back, the New Democratic Party (Canada's socialist party and YDS' sister organization) hero Tommy Douglas won the vote. Imagine how nice it would be if one of the greatest American socialists, MLK Jr. won this time.

"You can't talk about solving the economic problem of the Negro without talking about billions of dollars. You can't talk about ending the slums without first saying profit must be taken out of slums. You're really tampering and getting on dangerous ground because you are messing with folk then. You are messing with captains of industry. Now this means that we are treading in difficult water, because it really means that we are saying that something is wrong with capitalism. There must be a better distribution of wealth and maybe America must move toward a Democratic Socialism."    -Martin Luther King, Jr.

You can vote up to 3 times. Voting ends later this week.
http://tv.channel.aol.com/greatestamerican


5) NEW COUNTER-MILITARY RECRUITMENT RESOURCES
New web sites dedicated to counter-military recruitment:
WAR RESISTERS LEAGUES YOUTH AND COUNTER-MILITARISM PROGRAM: NEW WEB SITE > www.warresisters.org
Due to launch in the next few days, this site will feature an extensive links and resources section as well as updates on youth-led counter-recruitment work going on
around the country.

The WRLs Youth and Counter-Militarism Program has also prepared two new Counter-Recruitment 101 flyers: Back Off: Keeping Recruiters Out of Your School and Delayed Entry Program: You Dont Have to Go. A third flyer about dishonest recruitment practices will be available soon. Visit our web site to download flyers.

NOT YOUR SOLDIER > www.notyoursoldier.org
The is another new web site dedicated to anti-recruitment efforts, including a serious of training camps taking place this summer and into the fall.  Not Your Soldier activist training camps will give youth the tools we need to stop the military invasion of our schools and our communities. The camps will be 2-4 days long, and hosted by local groups in several regions of the US. The Not Your Soldier camps will help develop political organizing skills and create real-life strategies to fight military recruitment, the poverty draft, and the corporations that profit off of war. Attendees will learn what
counter-military recruitment activism really means and how we can take creative
nonviolent direct action to end militarism. There will be plenty of time to link up with other local people taking action to stop the war.


6) WANTED: LABOR ORGANIZERS IN PHILLY
From our friends at the AFL-CIO Organizing Institute:

• Are you stuck in school, have a desire to organize but need to pay the bills?
• Are you fed up with low wages and poor working conditions in Philadelphia? 
• Do you have experience working a regular job but want to learn how to empower your co-workers to join the labor movement? 
• Are you interested in working for social change but need more experience and training?

Millions of workers are part of the union movement and have a voice in their workplace. Yet, millions more need your help to fight exploitation, abuse, and demand respect and dignity in the workplace.

The AFL-CIO Organizing Institute will be holding a specialized training on July 8th and 9th in the Philadelphia area to equip you with the skills and job opportunities to pursue union organizing as a career. 

If you are committed to social and economic justice and are interested in helping workers gain power, win better wages, benefits, and working conditions by forming a union at their workplace please apply today for our training program.

Newly trained organizers who complete the training program will develop strong organizing and leadership skills while assisting their coworkers in forming a union.  Full-time and Part-time positions are available.  People of color, bilingual speakers, and Philadelphia area residents are highly encouraged to apply.

What: AFL-CIO Organizing Institute Training
When: July 8-9 2005
Where: Philadelphia, PA (Location to be announced)

To request an application or for more information, please email your resume to yfoa@aflcio.org or call Yael Foa at (781) 324-4088 ext. 4.


7) BLOGGING ON DEAN, THE DEMOCRATS & GOD
Former YDS National Organizer, Daraka Larimore-Hall, is back in action on his blog, Hoverbike.  His latest posts include:
howard dean vs. the touchy white people
on god, politics and progressive prospects
You can check out these and other previous posts here: http://hoverbike.blogspot.com



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